Bound to Fate (Bound Series, #1)

by Kiru Taye

  “No.” How dare Malcolm do this to her because she’d broken up with him? She hadn’t even kissed, let alone had sex. Lara rubbed a hand over her face as she paced the enclosed space. “I really can’t let this go. It’s my reputation on the line. I’m going to find Malcolm and make him take back the rumours he started.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,”

  “Okay. I’ll come with you.”

  “Thank you.”

  They both went in search of Malcolm. Nose flaring, she held her chin up, daring any of the students they met to repeat the rumour to her face. Most of them avoided her gaze as she marched past.

  Finding the rumour-monger proved difficult. Although Malcolm was in the same year as them, he was in a different class. They didn’t find him in canteen or classrooms, so they headed for the playground. Still no Malcolm or his friends. However, they spotted Gloria with her friends, sitting on a bench.

  Ada walked over to them and Lara trailed behind. “Have any of you seen Malcolm?”

  “Was he so good that Lara wants round two with him?” Gloria snickered and her friends laughed.

  Lara gasped and glared at the girls. “I never slept with him.”

  “That is a horrible thing to say,” Ada snapped, stepping closer to the group and eye-balling Gloria. “We all know that is a lie and whoever started the rumours will pay for it.”

  “Are you calling me a liar?” Gloria retorted, tilted her nose up.

  “If the shoe fits.” Ada squared up to her, hands akimbo.

  “I’ll make you pay for that.” Gloria bristled, the smugness wiped off her face.

  “I’d like to see you try, Princess. One day, you’ll get your just desserts for being such a bitch, and I hope I’m there to watch you fall from your tower.”

  “Look, it’s enough, both of you.” Christy, one of Gloria’s friends, stepped in between them, raising her palms in each of their directions. “Malcolm is not in school. He’s gone home on suspension.”

  “Really?” Ada asked in a shocked voice as Lara gasped.

  “Yes,” Christy said. “Apparently, he’d been in a fight with someone. Not sure whom. Anyway, he came out of the Principal’s office with a bloody nose. We spoke to him and he said he’s been suspended. But we didn’t get the time to find out what had happened.”

  “Wow.” Ada turned to Lara. “Karma was swift, wasn’t it?”

  “It sure was.” Lara couldn’t help the bemused smile as her friend wrapped an arm over her shoulders as they returned to their classroom. “At least he’s not in school spreading lies about me, and I didn’t even have to confront him.”

  At her desk, she slumped into her seat and blew out a shaky breath. She still had to deal with seeing Mr. Thomas in the next lesson.

  The empty sensation returned to her belly as she took her book out and started reading it in preparation. She hoped they could move beyond what happened yesterday. Her birthday was coming up in a week’s time. Then she’d be eighteen. Her exams would be done in a month and she’d no longer be his student. There would no longer be a barrier between them.

  In the meantime, she had to find some time to speak to him after the class and make sure he understood the rumours were a lie. She wouldn’t have sex with Malcolm if he was the only boy in school.

  When the student at the door announced that the teacher was on the way, Lara brushed back her hair to make sure it was neat and sat up straight in her chair.

  Mrs. Bello walked in and the class stood up and greeted her. Lara peered at the door, expecting Mr. Thomas to walk in, but he didn’t. Was he running late?

  “Good afternoon, class. I’ll be your Geography teacher for the foreseeable future,” Mrs. Bello said.

  Jimoh raised his hand and the woman gave him permission to speak. “What about Mr. Thomas. Is he sick?”

  “No. Mr. Thomas is not sick. He is unavailable at this time.”

  “Is it true, Mrs. B? Has he been suspended?”

  Lara’s head whipped back as she glared at Jimoh. What was he talking about? Mr. Thomas couldn’t be suspended.

  Mrs. B sighed. “Yes, Mr. Thomas has been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing.”

  Lara’s heart fell into her stomach as murmuring passed through the class.

  “Quieten down. I don’t want you to worry about this,” Mrs. B continued. “Mr. Thomas is a grown man and he can take care of himself. Now, what topic did you cover last time?”

  One of the students answered and the lesson began. But Lara’s mind drifted to everything that had happened today. The rumours in school, and the strange way the students had looked at her. Even her sister had come to talk to her when Lola never did before. And now, Mr. Thomas’s suspension. It all had to do with her and what happened yesterday. It had to be. It was all her fault.

  If she’d found a way to shake off Malcolm, Mr. Thomas wouldn’t have needed to rescue her. If she hadn’t gone into Mr. Thomas’s car and confessed her feelings for him, he wouldn’t be in trouble with the school authorities.

  He hadn’t done anything wrong. All he’d done was protect her, even when she was being ridiculous by confessing her love for him.

  She should be the one suspended. She had to see him to apologise. She had to find a way to see him, but she didn’t know where he lived.

  One person could help her. She glanced in Jimoh’s direction. He lifted his head and met her gaze with his brow cocked. She returned her gaze to her notebook.

  After the lesson, she grabbed her things and cornered Jimoh in the hallway.

  “I want to talk to you privately,” she said.

  “Follow me to my office,” he said and swaggered off.

  His ‘office’ turned out to be a secluded alcove between the buildings that backed onto the sports field.

  “What can I do for you?” he asked, his back leaning on the wall and his hands shoved into his trouser pockets.

  “I hear you’re the man that can get anything,” she said in a low voice.

  “I am. I can get you whatever you want for the right price.”

  She leaned forward and whispered in his ear. “I want Mr. Thomas’s home address.”

  Jimoh sucked in a sharp breath and jerked his head back. “That’s going to cost you.”

  “How much?”

  “Fifty thousand Naira.”

  “What? That’s too high.”

  “Well, I’m the one taking the huge risk. If I get caught hacking into the school system, I’ll get expelled.”

  “But I can’t afford such a high price. Will you do it for twenty-five K?”

  “Okay. I’ll do it for twenty-five, but I want all the gist about Mr. Thomas when you see him.”

  She was so relieved he agreed that she just said, “Deal!” and they shook on it.

  It took her about a couple of weeks to save up the first ten thousand that he wanted up front before he would get the information. She had to raid her savings and take it from the money she was given for transportation and lunch. She had to pack a sandwich from home instead of getting cooked lunch at school. And she walked home instead of taking the bus, although Lola paid her fare a couple of times.

  Two weeks after Mr. Thomas’s suspension, she still hadn’t heard any news about him, and he wasn’t back in school. Her birthday was in two days and her exams were scheduled to start in two weeks, and she really wanted to see him soon.

  That evening, she got a text from Jimoh asking for her to bring the rest of the money into school the next day. She was so excited, she hardly slept.

  As soon as she got to school, she sent Jimoh a text and they met up in the library. She gave him the money and he gave her a slip of paper. She tucked it into her pocket.

  Throughout her lesson, she couldn’t wait for it to be over, knowing that she was finally going to see Mr. Thomas again.

  Chapter Four

  “Mum, I understand what you’re saying,” Ike said into the phone braced between his ear and shoulder as he popped
the cap off the bottle of beer he’d just taken out of the fridge. He tossed the opener onto the kitchen counter and the cap into the bin under the sink. “I’m sorry about the stress this is causing you and Dad.”

  A sigh escaped him. He seemed to be doing that a lot recently. Apologising to people. First, it had been Mrs. Bello, the woman who’d been his mentor since he’d started the placement at Hillcrest. Then to Mr. Idowu, the Principal, who had seemed so disappointed by what he’d done.

  Now, he had to deal with his parents. At least, it proved some consolation that he didn’t have to face his family yet. Their displeasure measured at a different level, considering his past transgressions.

  He had screwed up. Again. And as his screw ups tended to be of monumental proportions, this time was turning out to be no different.

  “I know you are, son.” The sadness in his mother’s voice twisted his gut. “Being kicked off your industrial placement is very bad. Is there nothing that can be done? Perhaps I should speak to the school principal.”

  He sucked in a deep breath and puffed it out. “I know you’re trying to help me, Mum, but that’s not a good idea. The parents of the student are insisting they don’t want me teaching in the school anymore. They’ve threatened to sue the school if I go back.”

  His mother heaved a big sigh. “I can understand their perspective. If I were in their shoes, I’d probably do the same thing. So what are you going to do?”

  He took the phone back into his hand and pressed his warm forehead against the cool wall. “I’m going to write the report of my experience during the past few months. Although I’m not due back at University for another couple of months for the presentation, there’s no harm in getting the preparation done early.”

  “What about Hillcrest? Aren’t they supposed to write a recommendation for you, as well?”

  “Yes, I’m hoping they’ll take into account all my efforts from the previous eight months I worked there. And not just what happened in the last one month.” At least, that was what he hoped.

  “I pray so,” she said. “Are you sure you don’t want to come to Lagos in the meantime?”

  “No, Mum. I’ll be fine here.” He didn’t want to face his father and his wrath. Not yet.

  Thankfully, he had this apartment which he’d paid for two years. It came in handy because it was close to the university campus, so he could still live here next year. In the previous years, he’d shared digs with his friends.

  Hopefully, by the time he got to see his parents face to face, he would’ve salvaged the mess of his life.

  “Okay. You take care of yourself and call me if you need anything.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  He cut the call after they bid farewell to each other. Leaning against the wall in his kitchen, he closed his eyes and took a swig from the bottle of beer.

  Being kicked off the internship so late in the program year was bad. He wouldn’t find another placement at such short notice. And if Hillcrest gave him a poor recommendation, it would impact on his degree program. That would be a year’s worth of work down the drain.

  He rubbed the back of his neck. He’d worked so damned hard at the job only to jeopardise it all in one crazy moment. One stupid mistake.

  His fist curled in tight, fingers digging into his palm, the other hand tightening on the neck of the bottle as he remembered what’s he’d done to Malcolm.

  “Fuck!”

  He opened his eyes and walked out, going towards the living room, and took another swig of beer. He didn’t usually drink in the middle of the day. But this call to his parent had left him jittery.

  With him halfway down the hallway, his doorbell rang.

  “What now!” he griped. He really wasn’t in the mood for company.

  With stomping steps, he marched to the front entrance, turned the lock, and yanked it open.

  His body stiffened and his eyes bulged at the sight before him, his senses pealing.

  On the level landing, just outside his door, stood the sum of his misery and joy.

  Lara.

  He was so used to seeing her in the blue and white of the school uniform that, for a brief moment, he didn’t recognise her.

  Blood rushed in his veins as he took a step back and stared at her from head to toe.

  Today, she wore a black tank top, a pair of navy skinny jeans, and black sandals. Her toenails were unvarnished although buffed to shine. He swept his gaze back up, taking in how her clothes hugged her body. She wasn’t a skinny girl. Neither was she chubby. But the curves were in the right places.

  He swallowed as his knees loosened, desire sparking in his gut, the temptation she presented all too real.

  She wore no makeup. Perhaps a touch of gloss that enhanced the heart-shaped plumpness of her lips, making them luscious. But nothing marred her beautiful face. Her loose braids were swept over the left shoulder.

  Overwhelming passion fuelled by her presence spread in his veins. He wanted to take the step and breach the gap dividing them. He wanted to take her face in his hands and seal their lips together. His grip on the handle tightened painfully.

  The scrape of lock and key brought him back to earth. One of his neighbours would be out before long. They’d see her. She shouldn’t be here.

  Reaching across, he grabbed her arm and dragged her into his apartment before slamming the door.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  Even as he asked the question, he regretted his abrasive tone. His frustration still rode his blood.

  She flinched, taking a step back, her head bowed. “I came to see you. I was worried about you.”

  “I’m fine. You shouldn’t be here. I’m your—” he was going to say ‘teacher,’ but he couldn’t use that term anymore as he didn’t have a job any longer.

  Turning, she paced four steps down the hall, swivelled, and came back to stand in front of him. Her chest lifted as she sucked in a breath and let it out in a rush. She lifted her gaze up to his face.

  “I know I shouldn’t. But I couldn’t help it. After Mrs. B told us that you got suspended, I knew it had to be because of me.” She gesticulated, hands jerking in the air. “So I had to come and see you. I promise you I didn’t tell them what happened in the car between us. I swear I didn’t.”

  Taking a step in her direction, he rested his palm on her shoulders to calm her agitated motions.

  “I know.” His palm scorched and he pulled his hand back. “I know you didn’t tell the principal. I didn’t get suspended because of you.”

  Well, at least not directly.

  “Oh?” Her forehead creased in a frown. “So why did you get suspended?”

  Good question. He didn’t like talking about what he’d done. Grimacing, he scrubbed a hand over his face and spun on his heels, walking into the living room. He slumped on a sofa and took another swig of his beer.

  She came in and stood beside the sofa opposite. Her gaze flitted across the room before settling on him. Her brows drew together and she twisted a single braid around her finger. She did that a lot when something worried her.

  That he could be the source of her unease prickled his spine. He waved at the sofa. “You can sit down.”

  “Thank you.” She walked around tentatively and sat on the edge. “Why did you get suspended, sir?”

  His back stiffened. Why didn’t he send her home straight away? The plea in her softened eyes made his heart clench, answering the question for him. He took another swig of his beer. “I punched Malcolm.”

  “You did what?”

  The shock and accusation in her voice made his face burn. He closed his eyes. The scene with the boy resurfaced in his mind. His blood boiled.

  “He’d been spreading lies about you. Saying he had sex with you.” He opened his eyes and leaned his bent head forward against his palms so she couldn’t see the shame on his face. “I’d heard some kids whispering about it and went in search of Malcolm. I invited him into a classroom to talk and he
started mouthing off. I knew it was all lies and asked him to take it back and go and apologise to you, but he refused. I lost my temper and hit him. Then I dragged him to the Principal’s office and reported him for assaulting you. He got suspended because you verified the story when Mr. Idowu questioned you. I got suspended because I struck a student.”

  She sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m so sorry. You’re coming back to school, right? Malcolm is back to school. Why aren’t you?”

  He lifted his head and met her gaze. Her brows wrinkled and she bit her bottom lip. He’d seen the expression of concern a few times previously. He felt a constriction in his gut. He’d missed seeing her these past few weeks. He’d missed the gestures; the curl of her lips when she smiled, even the furrowing of her brows when she frowned.

  “I’m not going back to Hillcrest. I’ve been sacked as a teacher.”

  “What?” Jerking back, her frown deepened and tears glassed her eyes. “They can’t sack you.”

  Sighing, he finished the beer and placed the bottle on the small wooden table beside him. “Malcolm’s father demanded they sack me. The school doesn’t want to have a reputation of teachers assaulting students. They had to let me go.”

  Fat tears dropped down her face and her voice cracked. “It’s not fair. You’re the best teacher.”

  His chest ached. He couldn’t stand to see her so upset. Before he knew what he was doing, he’d rounded the table and scooped her up onto his lap on the sofa.

  “It’s okay,” he said softly as he held her close.

  She pulled back and looked up into his face. “No, it’s not. It’s my fault you are in this position. If I hadn’t given Malcolm the opportunity to start rumours about me, you wouldn’t have been sacked.”

  His body stiffened. With his right hand, he pulled her glasses off her face. “Can you see me clearly?”

  She looked confused for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. I can see things close to me. It’s just the things far away that are a bit fuzzy.”

  “Good. I want you to understand that what Malcolm did was never your fault. Any decent boy or man should know that when a woman says no, it means no. Malcolm is a sociopath. He thinks he can do whatever he likes and get away with it. I simply should’ve controlled my temper better. Okay? I’m paying for my rash actions. I let all my students down by punching him.”